Cultivation of Arable L&nd. Peas. Modes of reaping of. After-crops. 71 



may be more perfectly dried both in thefeed and ftem, and be kept from being injur 

 ed by the moiftureof the ground. But in the early crops the haulm is hooked up into 

 ioofe open heaps, which, as foon as they are perfectly dry are removed from the 

 ground and put into ftacks for the purpofe of being converted to the food of 

 animals, on which they are faid to thrive nearly as well as on hay.* When intend 

 ed for horfes, the beft method would feem to be that of having them cut into chaff 

 and mixed with their other food. 



It is the practice in fome diftricts to remove the haulm as foon as it has been 

 cut up, by hooks conftructed with fharp edges for the purpofe, to every fifth 

 ridge, or even into an adjoining grafs field, in order that it may be the better cur 

 ed for ufe as cattle food, and at the fame time allow of the land being immedi 

 ately prepared for the fucceeding crop. What are ufually termed winter peas, or 

 fuch crops as have been fown in the autumn, generally afford the largeft propor 

 tion of cattle fodder. 



It is of confiderable importance in the economy of a farm, when the nature of 

 the foil is fuitable, to have recourfe to the early forts ; as by fuch means the crops 

 may in many cafes, be cut and fecured while there is leifure, before the commence, 

 ment of the wheat harveft. 



Where the nature of the foil is dry and warm, and the pea crop of a fufficient- 

 ly forward kind, it may be eafy to obtain a crop of turnips from the fame land 

 in the fame year. But in this view it is the beft practice to put the crops in in 

 the row method, and keep them perfectly clean by means of attentive hand and 

 horfe-hoeing ; as in that way the land will be in fuch a ftate of preparation for the 

 turnips, as only to require a flight ploughing, which may be done as faft as the 

 pea crop is removed, and the turnip feed harrowed in as quickly as pollible upon 

 the newly turned up earth. In fome particular diftricts a third crop is even put 

 into the fame land, the turnips being fold off in the autumn and replaced by col- 

 lards, for the purpofe of greens in the following fpring. This, according to Mr. 

 Middleton, is the practice in fome places in Middlefex. 



It is a method of cultivation that can, however, only be attempted on the warm 

 and fertile kinds of turnip foil, and where the pea crops are early ; on the cold, 

 heavy, and wet defcriptions of land, it is obvioufly impracticable. 



With the marrowfat and other late forts of peas, the ufual practice is to either 

 prepare the land for wheat, or to put in crops of favoys or other late forts of cab 

 bages, which are methods of hufbandry that may often be had recourfe to x event 



* Corrected Report of Middlefex,. p. 285. 



